Sunday, December 2, 2018

Ignorance is Bliss


The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt after video surfaced of an incident in February that showed Hunt pushing a woman down and kicking her.  Better to act late than never, I suppose.

The Chiefs knew about the incident for some time but had apparently accepted Hunt’s version of events.  Talk about a less-than-aggressive approach to the issue of domestic violence.  The same goes for the NFL, which can’t seem to get a handle on domestic violence among its players.  Who can forget Ray Rice caught on video knocking his then-fiancĂ©e around?  Well, the Redskins must have earlier this week when they signed linebacker Reuben Foster despite his recent arrest for domestic violence.

For contrast, look at how baseball handles the issue.  By no means is the response perfect, just infinitely better than football’s.  Right now, Cubs’ shortstop Addison Russell is serving a suspension that goes into next season while undergoing treatment.  Granted, Russell released a statement on Friday that makes it sound as if he’d suffered an embarrassing injury while drunk, instead of admitting he abused his then-wife.    But compare how the situation is being handled to just about any accusation of domestic violence in the NFL.  Every action taken looks to be in the spirit of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s  initial response to Rice’s transgression—a two-game suspension.
After seeing the video, I have just one question:  Why weren’t charges filed?  This lack of legal action has to stop, now.     

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